First Time Turkey Hunter

[Big Stick]

I put in for the fall turkey lottery for the metro area and won a ticket.

I have a bow, a pop-up blind, camo and even a turkey call.

The most I know about turkey hunting is a couple of shows I've seen on tv (and those were shotgun), where do I go from here?

[kenhuntin]

Fall is tough and a whole diferent animal to hunt than spring which is probably what you watched. You can take either sex in the fall. If you know a spot where the birds frequent you can camp out and wait or if you find a flock of hens and poults you can run at them trying to disperse them in as many directions as possible and then hide and wait for them to reunite. A kee kee call which is what the little ones sound like will bring others in to you. Calling is not very effective though unlike spring. If you displace a group of Toms and Jakes be prepared to wait a very long time. The birds like to hang in gender groups this time of year and it is harder to get a male bird to look for his missing buddy. The metro birds regularly come to feeders but besides being illegal a hunt of that sort is anticlamactic and unfulfilling. A fall yelp call most time will get birds to squack but very rarely ever get them to come to investigate close enough for even a shotgun. Good luck They really taste good if you are lucky enough to bag one this year.

[bigstick]

Thank you so much.  You provided so much information in a short post and I feel so much better about getting out in the field now.

One last question, there seems to be some debate about shot placement on the internet.  Some sites point to cranking the bow weight down and pinning the bird to the ground.  Others recommend using as large a broadhead as possible and aiming for the vitals.  The rest say you should try to decapitate the bird.

My gut tells me to get a large broadhead and aim for the vitals, but I was interested in where you guys weigh-in on the subject.

Thanks again!

[HD]

I aim for the vitals with a bow, and I don't change my poundage.

[Scoop]

i shoot a two blade machanichal and havent had a pass throught yet they seem to work pretty good. thats shooting 70 pounds also

[kenhuntin]

Center Mass. Shoot your bird with whatever arrow and tip you shoot the best with. I recommend against using anything you are not completely comfortable and adept at shooting. From Judo to Guillotine all are lethal and a wise old tuirkey will offer you no second shot. You may while turkey hunting have twenty birds in front of you but one wrong move and in 5-10 seconds you are in a ghost town wondering if you imagined the whole the thing

[Big Stick]

Thanks for dispelling my worries about shooting a bird with my normal draw weight and broadheads.